Anything But Vanilla
by sexyspork
Summary: Slash Eric/Ryan - A friendly “show and tell” in the break room leads to unexpected revelations.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Anything But Vanilla

By sexyspork

Fandom: CSIM

Spoilers: _Dark Room_ (vaguely), _Curse of the Coffin_ (vaguely), _Deviant_ (vaguely)

Rating: R

Pairing: Eric/Ryan, misc. others

Warning: Slash, kink, language, allusion to attempted non-con

Summary: A friendly "show and tell" in the break room leads to unexpected revelations.

I wanted to try my hand at getting the guys together in a flufftastic way. Um... yeah, it didn't turn out like I planned. _

(PS – this isn't in any set season, as the last episodes I saw on A&E had Ryan still being fired, but Marisol is alive and kicking and married, because she amuses me so. So… pseudo-AU?)

--

"You're kidding." Natalia said as she pulled her salad from the fridge, disbelief evident in her tone. Eric would have been wounded at the blatant disregard of his many and fine talents, except for the fact he could back this up, no problem. Snatching a piece of lettuce between his thumb and forefinger, the senior CSI deftly avoided the fork intent of maiming his person.

"I so can." He bragged with a smirk after swallowing his stolen vegetable, raising an eyebrow and just _daring_ her to refute him again. The newest CSI sat there for a moment before sharing a look with Calleigh, who had been sitting back and enjoying the fireworks.

"Prove it." Boa Vista finally said after a few seconds of silence, taking a bite out of her meal absentmindedly.

"Cal...?" Eric asked, gesturing towards her stash and she gave him a cheeky grin.

"This is something I would pay _good_ money to see." The southern belle said as she nodded, her eyes bright as she watched him intently.

"You're in luck, I'm feeling generous today." He said before popping the cherry, stem and all, into his mouth.

Moments passed in hushed anticipation before Eric grinned and pulled the knotted stem from between his lips. If he had been at a club, he would have offered for the ladies to get it themselves (_preferably a hands off activity_), but he knew not to push his luck. Cal was his friend with a "no midnight tip-toe" clause, and Natalia was... Natalia. He did learn from his mistakes. As it was, he plopped the item on the table before them was only the barest hint of innuendo in his expression.

Both women lucked at him with wide eyes before Calleigh began to smirk. "I can beat that."

"Oh yeah?" Eric taunted, because he knew his abilities and there was _nothing_ to be ashamed of, if he did say so himself.

"Oh yeah." Calleigh confirmed, arching an eyebrow in a silent challenge as they both ignored Natalia's mutter of _pissing contest_. The other senior CSI rose from her chair, movements as graceful as ever as she made her way the well-stocked vending machine. Pushing the buttons once placing the appropriate amount of change in, Eric couldn't help but laugh when he saw the Starburst pop out.

"That's _easy_, Calleigh." He said between snickers.

She simply gazed back at him, serene as ever, and Eric slumped slightly from the guilt. God damnit. His _mother_ was the only one who was supposed to get that look to work. Sighing slightly, Eric made a 'go ahead' motion with his hand, the silent rebuke as effective as ever. It was almost painful to realize how much Calleigh had him wrapped around her finger, though he thanked God it was her and not Natalia.

She grinned before cheerfully popping an orange Starburst into her mouth. Both Eric and Natalia watched her eagerly, and when she slowly withdrew the wrapper while looking coyly at Eric with hooded eyes, he silently conceded defeat. It was hard (_in _so_ many different ways_) to beat an opponent who looked like a sinfully delicious saint.

Hey, just because she was _hands off_ didn't mean he couldn't appreciate the view.

The door opened, and all of them looked up at Ryan Wolfe with startled expressions. He raised an eyebrow at them silently, looking over their sheepish faces before shrugging and heading over to the coffee pot. Eric almost breathed a sigh of relief, because this wasn't something that should be done at _work_ of all places, but then Natalia elbowed Calleigh with a silent question.

Calleigh, the traitor, grinned. "Hey, Ryan..."

Their youngest looked up sharply and watched her suspiciously, eyebrows furrowing as his eyes darted towards the door. Eric almost snorted. If you were going to _look_ for an escape, you shouldn't be so damn obvious. Women smelled fear, and that was _not_ an aura of confidence.

"What?" Ryan asked warily, in such a tone that it almost made Eric want to find out what Calleigh had done to him before to put such hesitation in his frame. Wolfe was anything but insecure, so it must be quite the tale indeed.

"We're having a bit of a competition, strictly friendly you understand, and would you like to join?" She murmured demurely, but Ryan's eyes narrowed further. She must have used this on him before, but Eric knew that no one could resist their resident bullet girl for long.

"What is it?" At least he was smart, Eric granted grudgingly. It had taken him a while to ask for qualifications from Cal before agreeing to anything.

"What are you, a chicken?" Eric cut in, because everyone knew about Ryan's healthy streak of competition, and this would be _priceless_. He could get _months_ of mocking out of this.

And from the way Ryan gritted teeth, he wasn't about to back down just yet. "Sure."

Natalia leaned forward eagerly, lunch forgotten on the table as Calleigh gave a triumphant little smile. "Eric just demonstrated a talent with cherry stems, and-" she held up the Starburst wrapper "-here was my contribution. Do you have anything you'd like to share with the class?"

Ryan froze, coffee cup half way to his lips, and his eyes flickered away from them for a second before coming back. "I don't have anything to add."

Calleigh full-out grinned as Natalia perked up in interest. Ryan was the worst liar they knew, and his little tells were flashing neon red. Ryan _did_ know something, and Eric couldn't help but lick his lips in anticipation.

"Ryan..." Calleigh began and just looked at him, and the longer she did so, the more trapped his expression became. He held out longer than Eric had guessed, but he still broke under the will of the older woman.

"It's not really a...", Ryan muttered with a wave of his hand to encompass the whole topic, while the free one was clinging to his mug like a drowning man to a raft.

"I'm sure whatever it is, is fine." Natalia said with a sly smile, unwilling to give Ryan an easy way out. Their youngest sighed and held up a finger in a 'one moment' gesture, before he disappeared out the door. Thanking high heaven for the glass walls, they trekked his movements and Eric felt his eyebrows rise when Ryan stopped Jake Berkley from continuing on towards his night shift CSI who were running overtime.

The flash of jealousy was unwelcome, but not necessarily unexpected. Wolfe _was_ a beautiful man, in a geeky sort of way, and Eric had no problem appreciating the finer points of both sexes. It was just Ryan's personality was something to be desired.

A brief disagreement seemed to go on between the two men, with Jake obviously curious while Ryan was scowling slightly. Natalia practically beamed at Calleigh once they seemed to reach an agreement, with Jake following Ryan back into the break room. Ryan sent a pleading look to Calleigh, who simply gazed back at him.

"Fine. _Fine_." Ryan muttered, turning his back to Jake and offering the other man his hands. "Cuff me."

Eric felt his eyebrows rise, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Natalia do the same. Jake then gave them a cocky smirk from over Ryan's shoulder that made the two senior CSI in the room bristle slightly. Calleigh, Eric could understand, because Jake was standing a bit closer to Ryan than was required and that had to be going against whatever their _thing_ was. For himself, well… just because he didn't _want _Ryan didn't mean their youngest was on the market. Ryan was off limits to _everyone_. The sooner Berkley figured that out, the better.

Ryan, as always, was oblivious to the sudden tension and the _click_ of the cuffs being locked was almost obscenely loud in the silence of the break room. Jake strolled over to the wall as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his artistically rumpled suit, leaning against it for a better view of the proceedings. Which was soothing in a way, because the further away he was from Ryan, the better.

Turning their attention to their now flushing colleague, Ryan was steadfastly avoiding their gaze as the pink of his cheeks began creep down his neck. Squaring his shoulders as he apparently straightened his arms locked behind his back, Ryan obviously didn't realize what an erotic picture he made. Fair cheeks virgin flushed with eyes half-closed and biting his lip in concentration, hair bed-tousled and gleaming from the sunlight streaming in from the windows, and a sliver of his abdomen lay bare as his jeans rode low on his hips.

They all stared at him in shock, and Eric couldn't help the flash of _want_ that burned through his body. His streak of jealousy reared its head once more at the looks the others were giving an unaware Ryan, from Natalia's calculating to Calleigh's speculative to Jake's slow once-over.

Eric's hands clenched into fists as he fought back _hatredj__ealousyangermineminemine_.

He had always known Ryan was beautiful (_how could you not?_), but had made sure to keep his co-worker as a sexless entity in his head, much like how one would look at piece of art; appreciate it without the desire, because that had been the only thing keeping Eric from bending Ryan over the layout table the first day they met. Now Ryan was _sex with legs!_ and it took everything in Eric's control not to shove him against the wall and claim him for all their fellow employees to see.

Eternity in those few seconds melted by in silence until two consecutive _clicks_ made them all jump. Tossing the cuffs to a slack-jawed Jake, Ryan went back to ignoring them all as he focused his attention on his coffee.

"_What?!_" Eric blurted, and the pink tips of Ryan's ears went bright red. Natalia was squirming in her seat as Calleigh leaned back, satisfaction in her gaze. Eric continued, because he had to get under control _somehow_. "That totally didn't count."

Ryan's head snapped up as he glared at Eric. "Why not?"

Eric sputtered, "How useful could _that_ be?"

"It is if you wake up to find yourself cuffed to the bed." Ryan said dryly before walking out of the break room.

--

Eric couldn't get Ryan out of his head, and it was driving him crazy. Everything he kept locked away once he had met the younger man had burst out of its nice little box, distracting him at the most inopportune moments. Like now.

Did Ryan _really_ have to wear his pants that tight?!

Attempting to stay focused on sketching the crime scene was almost impossible as the other CSI continued to _bend over_ to take pictures. Wasn't it against the law to wear clothes like that? Because indecent exposure certainly was, and that's _exactly_ what he thought of Ryan's attire, and then Eric could cuff Ryan himself and see how long it took-

A little cough broke Eric out of reverie.

Eric couldn't help the blush that exploded across his cheeks at the amused look Horatio, his _boss_ and his _brother-in-law_, was giving him. Avoiding the perceptive gaze by turning his attention back to sheet before him, the chuckle only made it worse.

"Is there a problem, Eric?" Horatio murmured, eyes crinkling as he followed the other man's line of sight. The burning feeling only increased as Eric ducked his head. The only thing that could be worse than this if it had been his _mother_ seeing him ogle Wolfe.

"No, no problem, H." Eric muttered trying to push his embarrassment down.

"Of course not." Horatio replied as he twirled his sunglasses between his thumb and forefinger in a rare moment of levity. Giving Eric an ambiguous clap on the back with his free hand, Horatio moved towards Frank who ducked under the crime scene tape.

Forcing his thoughts to focus on the job was harder than expected, but Eric managed. Somehow. So once everything was cataloged and the sketches safely tucked away, he picked up his kit gratefully. Eric loved what he did, but if he had to stay there any longer and watch Ryan being the world's best tease, he would not be responsible for his actions. Chalk it up to cruel and unusual or duress from sun-stroke, because working in the hot Florida sunshine was making them both perspire, and he was sorely tempted to lick the droplet of sweat rolling down Ryan's neck.

Shifting uncomfortably for a moment, Eric took a deep breath in order to control himself and raised the tape to pack away his kit. Ignoring the look of amusement Horatio was giving him (_he really didn't want to know what it meant_)and the way Frank was eyeing him as if he were a perp, he put his case in the back of the hummer. And Eric almost jumped when Ryan suddenly appeared at his side.

"Tuck this in next to your's? I want to take one last sweep to make sure I didn't miss anything." The younger man asked, needing to comply with his OCD before they left while avoiding Eric's gaze.

Nodding and taking the silver kit, Eric was so incredibly sure they'd be able to get back to the lab without incident. He obviously was wrong when Frank opened his mouth.

"So what was this I hear about you pullin' a Houdini?"

The pink that crossed Ryan's face was anything but a sunburn.

"My uncle taught me a lot. That was one of them." He muttered, glancing back towards the open crime scene in almost manic desperation.

"Safecrackin' and now this? That don't look real swell for your uncle, Wolfe."

Ryan shrugged vaguely. "My uncle was a jack-of-all-trades."

Horatio cut in, before Frank could allude to any more of Ryan's family's history. Their youngest was incredibly closed mouth, so what little they did get made them want to know more. And hinting at Ron Wolfe's possible criminal background would not prove conducive to making Ryan open up about his life.

"It would be most interesting to see it in person. The tale… differs quite a bit person to person." Horatio said, and it shouldn't have been possible, but Ryan's blush darkened.

"H…" He murmured plaintively while their boss just gave him that soft, blue-eyed look.

_And I thought only Calleigh could do that_, Eric thought with a grin, because just like Eric couldn't deny Cal something, Ryan would never deny H anything. Eric smirked a bit until he realized exactly _what_ Horatio was asking. Jesus Christ, Eric barely lasted through one example, how would he last through another?!

Ryan muttered obscenities under his breath as he turned his back to Frank, and they all raised their eyebrows in shock. Eric didn't think half the things Ryan had said were physically possible.

"Let's just get this over with." Ryan grumped as Frank locked the handcuffs.

It was the same as the last time, only worse, as their youngest had been working out in the hot sun and managed to put both a healthy glow and perspiration to his cheeks. Eric swallowed hard, eyes lingering over Ryan's form until once more the clicks were evident.

Scowling as he handed the cuffs back to their owner, Ryan glared at them all as Horatio chuckled slightly. "I should have just told Calleigh no."

Eric couldn't help but grin, though there was no doubting the lascivious gleam in his eye. "Has anyone ever been able to say no to her?"

"There's a precedent for everything." Ryan sniped, intensifying his glare and unaware that it didn't help Eric's libido one bit. He _liked_ his partners feisty, after all, and that fit Ryan to a T.

Horatio's outright laughter made them stop and gape. Both Eric and Ryan blinked as Frank stilled in surprise. Even with his boss' marriage to his sister, Horatio was still _Horatio_ and this was not common to his character.

_Maybe Mari is as good for him as he is for her_, Eric mused was strange to think, but it made sense. They complimented each other nicely, strengths playing off weakness until they were a united front, because one always began where the other ended; circular, ever repeating, bright as gold, but tempered with resilient steel.

_I wonder if I'll…_ He trailed off, looking up from H's wedding band to catch the green of Ryan's eyes. Both men looked away and turned their attention to their boss when he composed himself enough to start talking.

"May I…?" He asked, holding his hands out and Ryan sighed.

"Ever the investigator." Ryan said, but Eric wasn't sure if the tone was sarcastic or bittersweet, and he held out his wrists for Horatio.

And Eric knew it was bad if he was jealous of _Horatio_ touching Ryan.

The lieutenant studied Ryan's wrists intently before he turned them over and taped the watch-face on Ryan's left arm with his index finger. "Very clever. I assume you hide something in the band."

"Trade secret. And CSI should never assume." Ryan said with a smirk, but tensed when Horatio froze as he stared at the wrists in his grasp.

Horatio took a step closer, concern written all over his face. "Mr. Wolfe-"

"We really should get back to the lab." Ryan cut in, jerking his hands away and ducking under the tape to make the one last loop of the crime scene. They watched him comply with his OCD before Eric turned to Horatio, his own alarm apparent.

"H?" He asked softly, and the redhead turned to face him as Horatio slipped his glasses back on. Eric _knew_ that look, and it sent his gut coiling with unease at the thought that something was wrong with Ryan.

"I'll take care of it, Eric." Horatio murmured, eyes hidden, and for once in his life, Eric hated those damnable shades. Ryan was hiding something and Horatio was clicking puzzle pieces together before Eric had even realized there _were_ pieces to put together.

Because that glimpse of H's expression before he donned his figurative shield screamed _protect the victim!_ and Eric could only imagine what had put that on his brother-in-law's face.

--

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

---

Everyone in the lab knew that Ryan was avoiding Horatio. It was an open secret that made the gossip mill churn, because for once it was _Horatio_ seeking out Ryan, and not the other way around. Speculation was running rampant through the glass halls, and if you saw one vanish, it wasn't much of a surprise to see the other come around not long after.

Serendipity in reverse.

And it turned Eric's uneasiness into outright anxiety.

He knew Calleigh and Natalia had felt it as well, but they were both off on their own case and couldn't be spared into helping with this new little development. That only made things worse, as Eric _needed_ Calleigh's insight because he was too damn close to see what was right under his nose, and though he would bet every lost dollar he had that Alexx knew, she wasn't making it any easier.

"Come _on,_ Alexx!" He couldn't help but whine, and almost flinched at the look she gave him.

"Eric-sweetie, I love you, but you're messing with my baby." She said flatly, washing down the body before her as she worked around the frustrated CSI.

"Something's wrong." Eric said in a tone to match her own, and the look Alexx gave him would have seared him on the spot had he felt this wasn't of such great importance. This almost felt like the need for Berkley to understand that Ryan was off-limits, except without the over-whelming jealousy.

For all the times that they treated Ryan like crap in the past, there was an equal and greater desire to protect him now. And be it from iguanas in graveyards to psycho-bitch-reporters to detectives who had yet to learn their place, Ryan was _theirs_, whether he believed it or not. And they took care of their own.

"_Alexx,_" Eric pleaded, ready to go on his hands and knees if she asked. She simply ignored him, focusing on the task at hand and he felt his short temper begin to rise.

"Yes, Alexx, your help would be most appreciated." Horatio said seriously, stepping into room at the perfect moment, and Eric felt a burst of relief. She'd listen to Horatio, she'd _have_ too.

"What was told to me was told to me in _confidence_, Horatio, and I will invoke Doctor-Patient confidentiality if need be." Alexx said, releasing the water nozzle to look at them both. Eric tried to block out the roaring in his ears, because he didn't want to think about why Ryan would need a _doctor_ instead of the mother-figure he found in the fierce woman.

"I need to-" Horatio started, but Alexx cut him off with a swipe of her hand.

"You need _nothing._ Sometimes the past is better left in the past, Horatio. Let this go. _Both_ of you need to let this go." She said in a clipped voice. "Personal life is personal life as long as it has no effect on your work."

"I need to ensure his safety." Horatio said, and Eric felt like he was in way over his head. It was like he had started watching a movie in the middle instead of the beginning, because he was lost and could understand _what_ they were saying, but had nothing to put it into context.

Alexx made a noise in the back of her throat, almost a cross between a growl and a snort. "Trust me, Horatio. If I thought my baby was in _any_ danger you would have been the first to know. As it stands, you're making assumptions with no evidence."

"I know what I saw." Horatio's tone was just as sharp, blue eyes piercing, and Eric has never before seen these two old friends at such odds with each other. "And I trust my instincts."

Alexx slapped her hand on the metal table before her, the sound resounding through the autopsy room. "I will not speak of this again, Horatio!"

"Alexx-!"

"That's enough." Ryan Wolfe said quietly, shutting the door softly behind him. He looked exhausted, evading Horatio Caine would do that to you, and Alexx made her way over to her 'baby'.

"Ryan, honey…" She said softly, brushing fingers over his temple in a soothing gesture and he gave her a wilting smile that tore at Eric's chest and made an irrational lump form in his throat.

"It's okay. They wouldn't be good CSI if they weren't so fucking snoopy." Ryan said with a laugh, and a deaf man would have been able to hear the hitch in his voice in an effort to prevent an onset of tears.

_Jesus, Ryan_. Eric felt numb as he made his way to the other man's side, bumping Ryan's shoulder with his own in a silent and meager attempt of comfort. So it was to his surprise that Ryan leaned against him ever so slightly as soon as their sides touched, but Eric had no problem supporting him. He would be Ryan's Atlas for however long as need be.

"You really don't have anything to be worried about, H." Ryan said, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Mr. Wolfe- _Ryan_, this is not something I can simply ignore." Horatio said, pain rippling across his face.

"It happened while I was on patrol, not here, so you don't have to worry. Everything's fine."

Horatio made a noise in the back of his throat, much like the one Alexx had made earlier, but the doctor beat him to the bunch. "I love you baby, but you can be such a _foolish_ little boy sometimes. Of coursewe worry. Why _wouldn't_ we?"

Ryan looked over at her, opened his mouth before closing it again, staying silent for a moment. "I don't understand why you _would_."

The expression that Alexx wore was an old, weary one and by the way she shook her head, this was not a new conversation to the two of them. So she simply ran her hands gently through Ryan's hair like she would with one of her own children and let it go.

"Ryan," Horatio cut in. "I need to know so I can protect you."

"There's nothing you need to protect me from." Ryan argued, but Eric did feel how he lent ever so much more against him. Not enough to be physically noticeable, but enough that Eric braced his feet.

"Ryan, whatever it is, _we can help!_" Eric cut in, tone firm and booking no arguments. He was getting tired of not knowing what was going on, but what he said was true. And if someone was hurting him, Eric would kill them. Enough said.

Ryan glanced over at Eric with realization dawning in his eyes. "You never saw them, yet you knew something was wrong."

"Ryan, the whole _lab_ knows something is wrong." Eric argued, because Ryan and Horatio's game of hide-and-seek hadn't gone unnoticed by any one of their colleagues.

"Yeah, but you're just as adamant as H, but you know less." Ryan said, and Eric nodded slowly.

"Ryan…" Horatio started, drawing his attention back to his boss.

"It happened a _long_ time ago, you really don't have to worry."

"That where you're wrong, Wolfe, with the trouble you attract, we can't help _but_ worry." Eric teased gently with a grin, and Alexx made an agreeing noise, though otherwise she stayed silent.

Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, and because Eric knew to look, that's when he saw them. Faint, ever so faint, because he would never have spotted them unless he knew that something was there, and tanned with age though they were often hidden by either sleeves or latex, and the fear that Eric had been feeling ever since the crime scene vanished on the onslaught of an all encompassing _rage_.

They were _scars_.

Eric gritted his teeth as he gently grabbed Ryan's wrists. The younger man made a soft noise of protest but otherwise allowed the Cuban to do what he wanted, which was a good thing because Eric wasn't sure if he would have been able to stop. So he raised Ryan's hands to get a better look at the matching set, his mind already jumping by leaps and bounds as almost everything snapped into place.

He'd been _bound_ and had fought the restraints, and if Eric ever found who did this to Ryan they had better pray for mercy from God above, because they would not find any here.

"Eric," Ryan murmured and the Cuban forced himself to meet the other's gaze. "You don't have to worry, it happened a while ago."

Eric was sure they could all hear how hard he was grinding his teeth together.

"Ryan, what _did_ happen?" Horatio cut in, and Alexx shot him a glare when Ryan flinched.

"Dated the wrong person. Woke up one morning in cuffs, got out, broke up, end of story."

Eric tightened his grip ever so slightly on Ryan before loosening so as to keep their youngest from feeling trapped. He must have fought _hard_ to leave the marks he did, and that didn't help Eric's temper any.

"How could you have joked about that?" Eric asked, remembering the morning when this had all started and Ryan's parting shot as he left the break room.

"I'm over what happened." Ryan then amended himself at Alexx's snort. "_Mostly_ over it, then. Can't stand to have things around my hands, but the watch is the lesser of two evils."

Eric immediately let go as if Ryan's skin burned him, and the look on the other man's face was a mixture of exasperation and a faint smirk.

"Why didn't you file a report?" Horatio asked, and Ryan looked away.

"I was in patrol." Was all he said, and it really did explain everything. Eric already knew there was some... tension... between Ryan and a few of the beat cops, and he could only imagine how much worse it had been when they had been working side by side. This probably would have made Ryan's life so much worse from all the rumors that would have sprouted after the initial investigation.

"Is this…person a threat?"

"I moved, changed shifts, and haven't heard from them since then. So there's nothing to worry about." Ryan said with a shrug of his shoulders, though he was beginning to tense again and Eric decided enough was enough.

Wrapping his hand around Ryan's bicep he gave Horatio and Alexx a nod. "Shift's over, come on, Ryan."

The look of surprise on H and the approving grin Alexx gave him was more than worth it. Eric needed a beer, and like hell he was going to let Ryan out of his sight.

Dragging a quiet Ryan through the lab was unnerving, because they clashed over pretty much everything, and Ryan was never one to follow blindly. So either he was exhausted enough to not put up an argument or he simply trusted Eric enough to follow the older man's plans.

Stopping in front of his lab-issue hummer, Eric jerked his head backwards slightly. "I need a drink, what about you?"

Ryan's laughter was completely unexpected. "I do, too. But you're buying the first round."

"Fair enough." Eric replied with a grin, and some of the fear locked around his heart loosened its grip.

--

"So… when were you going to tell me that you're dating Ryan?"

Eric inhaled his drink and began to choke on the soda as his sister, the demon-spawn changeling child that she was, looked on in amusement. Continuing to sputter and cough, he could only glare at her until he got his body under control once more.

"Marisol…" Eric warned, mopping up the mess with some napkins as dinner continued to cook in the oven. His older sister gave him a wide-eyed look of innocence, one he was immune to by the age of ten, and Eric scowled.

"We're not dating." And not because he didn't want to, but rather ever since the night they had gone drinking weeks ago, he was more concerned with Ryan than getting into Ryan's pants. He'd go along with whatever made Ryan the most comfortable, even if the torture of being so close to the object of his desire was slowly killing him.

"But Horatio said…" Marisol trailed off purposefully, leaving the rest of the sentence hanging in the air ominously, and Eric swore rather creatively.

"You're a meddling yenta and your husband is no better. Whatever he said is a _lie_."

Hmph. The Antichrist deserved his Lilith, because they were both _evil incarnate_.

"My Horatio never lies!" Marisol said happily, and Eric resisted the urge to gag. His _sister_ and his _boss_. Kill him now.

"H lies when it suits him." Eric muttered and ignored her mock-offended look.

"He knows better than to lie to me or he'll get the couch, even though that is more of a dual punishment than one just for him." She said with a wicked gleam in her eye.

"_MARI! _You evil, evil woman, how are we related?" Eric moaned, dropping his head so as to rest it against the countertop. There were some things he never wanted to know about his boss, let alone his sister.

"In the case of our parents, when a man loves a woman very, very mu-"

"_Marisol!_" Eric moaned, wrapping his arms around his head in a futile gesture of security as he continued to lay his forehead against the cool marble, because at least his face didn't feel as hot when compared to its chilly surface temperature.

"Alright, I'll leave you alone…" Marisol said, but then she giggled and he could practically _hear_ her smirk. "Now in _your_ case, when a man loves a man very, very much-"

Eric grabbed the wad of napkins and tossed it at her without even lifting his head (_so as to prevent her from seeing him blush_) and she shrieked with laughter.

It was good to hear her laughter after so many months of terror and helplessness. But did it really have to be at his expense?!

"You know I love you." Marisol said, tugging on his ear affectionately.

"Yeah, yeah..." Eric muttered with a swipe of his hand, raising his head with a smirk. "So H keeps a closer ear to the ground than we thought..."

"A good investigator," Horatio cut in, making Eric yelp in surprise. "Always knows to use all the resources available to him when necessary. And that includes the lab's rumor mill."

The youngest Delko sister walked over to her husband to give him a soft kiss. "Horatio."

"Marisol." He returned in greeting and Eric rolled his eyes.

"Now that you two are going to play house," he shuddered slightly, "I'm gonna go grab Wolfe for dinner."

The couple smirked at him, and Eric had to admit, it was kinda creepy. They _definitely_ deserved each other.

"We. Are. Not. Dating." Eric said slowly for understanding, pointing his finger at his sister. She simply raised an eyebrow, and he beat her to the punch. "And don't quote any line 'bout 'protesting too much' or else I'll tell ma who painted the cat that one Easter."

Marisol narrowed her eyes before letting it go. She had bigger fish to fry, after all, and Eric didn't have anything on her husband.

And said husband came to his wife's aid, "The way Natalia and Calleigh are running the pool, the lab would beg to differ."

He didn't even want to _think_ about Calleigh and her reasons for organizing the betting pool, because she always was a bit more observant in some areas of his life than he was comfortable with. Natalia, however, didn't know near as much as she would like to believe.

Eric switched from glaring at his sister to his brother-in-law, because Horatio most definitely wasn't his boss right now. "Natalia only sees what she wants to see."

"I think, Eric, that Natalia is able to see more than you realize about you and Mr. Wolfe. More than most, I would imagine, considering her unique position."

"What? As the mole?" He snapped, shoulders hunching slightly, because he was getting the distinct feeling of being trapped, and Eric didn't like that one bit.

The look Horatio gave him was of a stern father berating an unruly child. "As the woman who dated you both."

Eric opened his mouth, closed it, opened it, and closed it again. He then growled in frustration. "Alexx asked me to keep an eye on him, and I am. And now I'm going to leave before you read any more into this supposed 'evidence' than you've already have."

H's _hmmm_ and Marisol's _I see_ wasn't very comforting. Eric mentally washed his hands of them and stomped out of their apartment. He had better things to do than be tortured with _what if's_ and _could never be's_.

An hour and a half later, Eric found himself grousing to Ryan about the evils of siblings in the restaurant choice of the evening. He knew Ryan was listening, because the other man had that little "I don't understand, but wish I did" grin. Eric knew Ryan had an older brother, but the ages between them were so far that he might as well be considered an only child.

"Seriously, Mari never learns. You think she would, but oh _nooo_. And H doesn't help. There are some days I wish she hadn't fixated on him. Jesup would have been better. Hell, I would have taken _Cooper_ over him." Actually, he wouldn't have, but by then he had had more than a few beers.

"No you wouldn't have." Ryan said with a smirk, and Eric blinked at him in surprise. Ryan continued on, oblivious. "What did she do this time?"

Eric felt a blush explode across his cheeks, and Ryan leaned forward eagerly at the sudden hint of embarrassment. "Oh _ho!_ This has to be good."

"It's nothing more than what she always does," Eric muttered toying with the bottle of beer in his hand.

"I wouldn't be a good CSI if I couldn't spot your body language, and that's not quite what you're saying." Ryan reasoned, lifting his eyebrows in a silent challenge.

Eric looked at Ryan for a moment as he cocked his head to the side. "You are a good CSI."

This time, it was Ryan who paused for a second. "...Thanks?"

Eric waved it aside, not wanting to explain his less-than-sober thought processes. Because it was just then that he realized how much the younger man had grown since he joined the lab (_physically, mentally_), how much he had given up (_detective, respect_), how much he suffered (_nail, scorn_), how much of everything (_absolutely __**everything**_).

Ryan Wolfe was a good man, a good CSI, and the only shadow to be seen was his own.

"No seriously, what did Marisol do?" Ryan asked, brushing away the compliment because Eric knew the younger man just didn't know how to deal with them.

Eric smirked, "She thought we were dating."

Ryan choked on his water, and the senior CSI laughed.

"Not only are you Catholic," Ryan said once he calmed down. "But you go through more women than I do latex gloves."

Eric totally resisted the crack about the gloves. Just barely.

"Everyone gets that wrong," Eric said with a smirk, motioning for the check. "Unlike some of the other religious doctrines, the official Church stance is that homosexuality doesn't automatically mean hellfire. It's the whole 'sex before marriage' thing that's a sin, and do you honestly think _I _have a problem with sex before marriage?"

"And the women..." Ryan said slowly, an odd look on his face.

"Are easy." Eric said with a shrug of his shoulders as he pulled out his wallet.

"So, hypothetically, if you were to want to date a guy, what would you look for?"

"Young and pretty." Eric answered, and then the check came, and he promptly forgot about the conversation.

That is until he shoved his key into his apartment's lock, and Eric Delko had an epiphany.

"I'm such a fucking idiot." He groaned, hit his head against the door for good measure, and then turned around and left.

---

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

--

"I'm an idiot." Eric declared as soon as Ryan opened the door. The younger man was less than impressed.

"Tell me something I don't know." He grumped, hair bed-tousled as he tried to blink sleep out of his eyes, and it was a struggle for Eric to not stare at the beautifully bare chest. So Eric stepped passed him and into the apartment, ignoring Ryan's snippy comment of _make yourself right at home_.

"No, seriously. It came to me when I got home, and I couldn't believe I didn't see it. It's what _I _ do, so I didn't expect it from you." Eric explained, and Ryan's eyebrows started to raise.

"What did I do...?" Ryan asked slowly.

"You were fishing, and the bait was there, but I missed it. Or rather, took it, but didn't realize that I was."

"Are you still drunk? Because I'm not following."

"I'm not drunk, I'm inebriated." Eric clarified with a slow grin. "And I've decided not to be an idiot anymore."

So, before Ryan could make fun of _that_ statement, he leaned over and gave Ryan a soft kiss. It was more of a gentle caress of lips than anything, but it made his toes curl and gave him a better fuzzy feeling than anything alcohol could produce. And when he pulled back, Eric couldn't stop the smile the stole across his face.

The noise Ryan made, however, robbed him much of the warmth. It wasn't a good noise of _Oh God, fuck me!_ but rather a sort of _Jesus Christ, wtf?!_ noise and Eric was kinda hoping they were now on the same page.

"Wh-what?!" Ryan sputtered, and Eric crossed his arms to wait out the storm. He wasn't a patient man by nature, but if he could outlast Ryan, it would be worth it, because _Ryan_ was worth it.

"Tonight, at dinner, you were fishing for information. Like you did about me and Natalia, and me having kids, and probably a hundred other things than I can't remember. You've been fishing for information, but I never noticed, and I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker."

"I have _not_." Ryan said, matching Eric's stance by crossing his arms.

"You have _too_. Ever since we've met, you've been throwing out signs because you really can't hide _anything_, but I've been to busy trying to not to see how fucking _gorgeous _you are that I simply blinded myself to everything about you." Eric began to walk forward to make the words sink in, and Ryan, true to his nature, didn't back up and held his ground.

The younger man glared at him with head held high, green eyes sparking defiantly, and Eric leaned in for the kill. Mere inches apart, he shivered when he felt Ryan's warm breath intermingling with his own, and Eric held Ryan's gaze and grinned.

"You asked me about my type in the restaurant. When I said young and pretty, I meant _your_ kind of young and pretty."

The slow dawning of realization was worth it, and Eric practically beamed even as Ryan's lips quirked slightly and he muttered, "We're going to have to work on your definition of 'young and pretty_'_."

Eric smirked, and then ghosted kisses over Ryan's cheek as he leaned in to whisper. "When you first joined the lab, you were slight and fey-like and beautiful, and couldn't have been over 23. If that isn't young and pretty, I don't know what is."

"And now?" There was the caution that Eric knew so well, and it made him smile, which Eric knew Ryan could feel against his skin.

"Then you were the moon, trying to shine on your own but unable." He felt Ryan tense, because it hadn't been his fault that all anyone saw was Speed, and Eric rested his hands on Ryan's shoulders, running his fingers over Ryan's skin in a soothing gesture. "Now you're the sun; burning so fucking bright that anyone who gets close gets burned. Beautiful and fierce, and still shining."

Eric paused and then tightened his grip on Ryan to punctuate his point without giving the younger man the feeling of being trapped. They had yet to discuss _that_ ever since that day in the morgue, but Eric knew they would. "Call me a fool like Icarus, but I don't care if I get burned."

Ryan sighed and gently pried Eric off of him, and the older man immediately felt bereft of Ryan's presence.

"I'm going to call you a _drunk_ and then get you into the guest bed. But really, this must work on a lot of the girls. It makes me almost want to hear you talk dirty." Ryan said with a broken laugh, and Eric growled as he could practically hear the younger man's walls raising in order to shut him out.

"I'm not drunk, Ryan. I know what I'm doing and what I'm saying. And I'm not playing you just to get into bed." He snapped, though not mentioning he _had_ taken a cab here as a precaution and that his own vehicle was still at the restaurant they had eaten at earlier that evening.

"You don't _want_ me." Ryan snapped back, "You _can't_ want-"

Eric had enough. Threading his hands through soft hair, he jerked Ryan forward to kiss him. Immediately dominating the kiss and relishing the fact that Ryan was already responding, he ran one hand down the younger man's side to rest on a hip and bring their two bodies flushed together.

Moaning slightly at the taste and feel of the object of his desire, with one last swipe of his tongue over Ryan's and a sore feeling of loss, Eric pulled away. And though the flash of male pride at Ryan's swollen lips and flushed cheeks wasn't unexpected, and he'd very much like to put that same look on the younger man's face again, this was merely a temporary solution.

"I _do_ want you. And not as a one night stand." Eric said softly, and green eyes sharpened on him.

Ryan sighed, snagged Eric's wrist to lead him down a hallway, and Eric wasn't optimistic enough to believe Ryan was leading him to his bedroom. And his suspicions were confirmed when Ryan gave him a small push into a room that looked more appropriate in a hotel than in someone's home.

"Get some sleep, we can talk in the morning." Ryan said softly, lips quirking in a bittersweet grin and obviously believing that Eric would regret this once the alcohol had left his system. So the older man ran calloused fingers over a soft cheek in an unspoken promise, and Ryan's eyes widened slightly.

"I meant every word I said tonight." Eric said, and Ryan leaned back a bit to watch the man before him with pensive eyes.

"Go to sleep." Was what he finally said, and Eric sighed but acquiesced.

And when Eric woke the next morning and kissed Ryan as soon as he found the man in his living room, Eric knew that it was love even without the declarations and the talking. Though they were going to have to. Eventually. As soon as they broke for air.

--

They had been dating tentatively for three months with it hanging over their heads. It wasn't obvious, but there was that little niggle in the back of Eric's mind that just wouldn't go away. But he was too new to this long-term, exclusive thing while Ryan was naturally cautious about jumping into anything, and he was... testing the waters for the right time to talk about it.

So they were taking it slow, almost hesitantly, because Eric didn't want to mess this up with Ryan because he knew this was his only shot, and as a consequence, this was probably the longest he had gone without sex since puberty. And as much as he wanted to bitch and moan, it was... kinda nice. Every step with Ryan was celebration, because it was _Ryan_.

But still, some days his eyes would catch on the watch, and it would be hard to breathe because he so badly wanted a target to go after, to catch, to _punish_. But then green eyes would catch his own and the moment would pass, and Eric couldn't help but think that there was always _next_ time.

Of course, then he realized that they were both men, and contrary to the lab's opinion, Ryan was anything _but_ the chick in this relationship (_not that Eric was, mind you_). And that if Ryan had his way, he would never, _ever_ talk about it, and Eric didn't exactly know how to bring it up. He dealt with crimes almost immediately after they happened, but never with the repercussions.

So when it finally came to a head, it wasn't when he had been expecting it.

Celebrating the high of a case gone right and a sick fucker being put behind bars with LWOP, Eric had Ryan pressed against the door of his apartment sans shirt, while the younger man was tugging insistently on Eric's top. So as he pulled away to toss his own shirt, Eric paused when he saw Ryan eyeing his watch speculatively.

And when Ryan slowly undid the latch from worn leather, Eric's breath caught. They both froze, because this wasn't what Eric had been expecting. Making out, sure, and quite possibly an appointment with lady palm and her five daughters in the shower later after Ryan left, but this? This was a changing point in their relationship, and Eric was _not_ going to mess this up.

Ryan was still was looking at the watch with a hint of apprehension in his face, and Eric smiled softly as he dropped his shirt to take Ryan's hands in his own. The other man tensed, but allowed the contact, for which Eric was grateful, because since the first time they started this relationship, he knew what to do.

Palming the watch from Ryan's grip, Eric gave the younger man a small smile before raising those injured wrists to his lips. Left hand first, as it had borne the brunt of the damage and the worst of the scarring, and not an inch of skin was neglected as he worshiped his heart's resilience and strength. Moving on to the right hand, he repeated the process slowly, kissing every little mark because Eric may not have the words to express how much Ryan meant to him, but he hoped his actions were enough.

And ever so gently, he redid the latch so as to place the timepiece back in it's rightful place on Ryan's person.

"You don't have anything to prove to me." He said softly, voice wavering as it broke the stillness of the atmosphere. He looked up, surprised to find Ryan a bit blurry, and quickly wiped his eyes to be rid of any excess moisture. He had no excuse, and would like to think he didn't need one in front of Ryan.

Ryan, for his part, swallowed audibly several times and Eric didn't mention the fact that the younger man was blinking hard. Slowly, so painfully slowly, Ryan leaned against Eric, tucking his head in the crook of the senior CSI's neck as Eric wrapped his arms tight around him.

"It was my uncle who really, pretty much, raised me. And he decided to teach me his skills in lieu of the son he never had. Some things to help me cope with the obsessions, some with the compulsions. Most, however, were things to protect myself, and that included escaping various things, like handcuffs."

Ryan paused for a moment, and Eric didn't dare say a word lest the other man stop his story. "Uncle Ron was right. I did end up needing that skill."

Eric couldn't stop the tightening of his fists, or the rage that started to rekindle in his belly, so he brushed a kiss over Ryan's temple in encouragement. This wasn't about him and his fury. This was about Ryan and his pain.

"I was working patrol at the time while having just started grad school. I was 21 and everything was... exhilarating. Being at a university and studying the things I loved while preparing for the career I knew was ahead of me, made me think I was on top of the world."

Eric's stomach twisted at those last words. What he would give, to meet a fresh from under-grad and so very young Ryan. He could only imagine the very edges of this person; perhaps less cynical but no less cautious, green eyes alight from curiosity as if nothing could darken them.

"He was a post-doc, helping some of my classmates with their research and we got to talking. And then dating." Against his neck, Eric felt Ryan's lips quirk into something that was a mockery of a grin.

"Never loved him; I wasn't that stupid, but I was stupid enough not to catch some warning signs. He started wanting things I wasn't... comfortable with. And I kept saying no with the thought that he respected me enough to adhere to my boundaries. He didn't."

Eric had to bite his lip, hard, in order to keep the snarl to himself.

"So the morning I found myself in cuffs, him standing over me, well... let's just say he should have bound my feet." Eric couldn't help but pull Ryan even closer to him, tightening his grip around him as if that could protect Ryan against whoever this asshole was. And Eric wasn't stupid, because he knew full well why Ryan wasn't giving out specifics, like names, because if he did, Eric would have been out the door as soon as Ryan was done talking. The bastard _was_ going to be hunted down like a dog, this just made things a bit harder.

"He left," and Eric couldn't help but grin viciously with thought of whatever Ryan had done to make the bastard leave. "And I managed to get free."

Eric hissed and Ryan jumped slightly at the sudden sound from the man who had kept himself silent up until now. Eric leaned back and pulled one hand that had been gripping him tightly towards his lips, kissing the scars with a new desperation. He could vividly imagine Ryan, so young and so alone and so scared, most likely semi-nude in a large bed that he was cuffed to, by a man he had trusted enough to let into his home. And that Ryan, being forced to harm himself in order to protect himself, to get himself free and away from the bastard.

The bastard was dead. One way or another, he was dead.

"And I moved the next day; put my things in storage and stayed in a hotel until I found a new place. Changed shifts the day after that, and I still thank God that our research was in completely different fields while I was doing my graduate work, or else I probably would have had to switch universities completely. Haven't seen or heard from him since."

The silence settled for a moment, not uncomfortable but not quite comfortable either, as if Ryan was waiting for something. For judgment or ridicule or God knows what else, because the man was still an enigma even after all this time, so Eric pulled back a bit to look him in the eye. Ryan met his gaze head on, as was his way, but Eric could see a shadow of shame lurking behind determination, as if he was expecting Eric to find fault in what Ryan had done. As if _he_ was to blame, not the bastard.

Well, Ryan's worst enemy usually was himself, and by God, that really pissed Eric off.

Eric released his hold on Ryan so as to cup the younger man's cheeks in his hands and kissed him firmly. He loved this man, for _everything_, not in _despite _something. He didn't overlook Ryan's flaws, but embraced them, just as he would for all of Ryan's strengths. And if Ryan thought that something that wasn't even his fault would drive Eric away, he was clearly insane.

Pulling away while continuing to caress the soft skin of Ryan's face, Eric gave his better half a sardonic grin. "How 'bout we give the bastard a taste of his own medicine? Might do him some good."

Ryan rolled his eyes, but something in them relaxed minutely at the word '_we'_. And as far as Eric was concerned, it would be Eric-n'-Ryan for as long as possible. Hopefully a lifetime or two. "How about we never talk about him again? At least, as long as you have access to weaponry."

Eric grinned, but he knew there wasn't anything particularly nice about it. He said as innocently as he could, "I wouldn't kill him."

Not right away, at least.

Ryan snorted, unswayed, but continued to stay within Eric's embrace. And something in Eric softened. This topic wasn't done; the minefield left behind from the incident insured that, but now Eric knew what happened and how carefully he had to tread, and looking into Ryan's bright green eyes, they would get through this. Together.

"Stay the night." Eric asked softly, and Ryan looked at their half-nude forms and their shirts flung all over the room with a raised eyebrow. Eric shook his head softly, and Ryan's other eyebrow joined its brother near the hairline.

"Not... not sex. Just stay the night. Please." Eric couldn't articulate this want or why, because while he understood the carnal desires of the body, the desires of the heart were an entirely different matter. "Just... stay with me. Please."

Something about Ryan's stance both tensed and relaxed simultaneously, before relaxing entirely as he nodded. Extracting himself from the embrace, Eric locked the apartment down for the night, the silence creeping up between them as Ryan picked up their shirts up off the floor. Walking towards the other man, Eric inhaled deeply as he looked at Ryan, loose-limbed with green eyes glittering in the dim lighting, barefooted and barechested and looking like he had every right to be there in Eric's living room.

And he did.

Hesitantly taking Ryan's into his own and leading him back to the master bedroom, Eric couldn't help but feel nervous, and heaven only knew why. So they both stripped in silence, down to their boxers, and Eric began to feel like a teenager all over again, except for the fact that he could have sworn he had never had this much anxiety at that age.

Ryan suddenly began to laugh, and Eric couldn't help but feel affronted.

"You act like I'm going to eat you." Ryan said with a twinkle in his eye, not realizing that Eric's mind began to jump to several different scenarios of a much more lewd variety.

Eric humphed quietly. He wanted to do this right and, of course, gets made fun of for it. Ryan chuckled again before drawing Eric to him for a gentle kiss, before asking, "Bed?"

"Bed." Eric affirmed, and couldn't help the way his heart jumped or the smile that spread at the sight of Ryan making himself comfortable in his bed. Crawling in next to him was torturous, as he didn't quite know what to do with his hands, but when Ryan curled up against his side and started using Eric as a pillow, it was like the sudden clicking of two puzzle pieces finally aligning and Eric relaxed fully and let sleep claim him.

And if, when the morning sunshine started to filter in through the windows, Eric Delko opened his eyes to watch the man still slumbering peacefully at his side to find a worn, old leather watch resting on the bedside table, no one would see the _lovejoyhappinessmineminemine_ that flared in his eyes or that he further twined his body, and heart, around Ryan Wolfe.

--

The End

--

Seriously, the end. I can't see myself writing a sequel (or prequel) without it being melo/over-dramatic (unless, of course, someone else wishes to pick the storyline up from here...). And I firmly maintain that Ron Wolfe does indeed have a criminal history and, someday, a whole other universe will be written about it, and it may or may not include criminal-mastermind!Ron Wolfe, snarky FBI agents, diamond heists, breaking-and-entering, unwilling-criminal-mastermind!Ryan Wolfe, pineapple, Horatio "Glasses of Justice" Caine, cat-and-mouse games, Eric "I Loved Him But Let Him Get Away" Delko, and a goddess known as Calleigh.


End file.
